Unit 1: ORGANIZATIONS

1.1. Companies
COMMUNICATIONS: language styles
Formal and informal
Formal style:
•Does not use colloquial words/expressions (use: “post” instead of “job”, “I would appreciate it
if…” instead of “I would like…”, etc.).
•Does not use contractions (write full words: I am, do not, cannot, will not, etc.).
•Writes in third person (except in business letters, where the first person may be used).
•Does not address readers using the second person pronouns (use: “the reader” instead of “you”,
etc.).
•Does not use abbreviated words (use full versions, like “photograph”, and not “photo”;
“television”, and not “TV”, etc.).
•Does not use the imperative voice (say: “could you send me…?” instead of “send me…”).
•Uses the passive voice (for example: “it is believed that…” instead of “we believe that…”).
•Uses longer and more complex sentences (short and simple sentences makes a writing poor).
Informal:
•Uses colloquial words and expressions (well, kids, guy, etc.).
•Uses contractions (I’m, don’t, can’t, won’t, etc.).
•You may use first, second, or third person.
•You may address readers using the second person pronouns (you, your, etc.).
•You may use abbreviated words (photo, TV, etc.).
•You may use the imperative voice (for example: Send me…, Please remember…, etc.).
•You may use the active voice (for example: we believe that…, etc.).
•You may use short and simple sentences.

Written and oral:

Written: The characteristics of the written language are the following:
•It uses long forms: I am, he is, I have got, etc.
•It has some grammatical constructions that are only used in writing: We are looking forward to
your reply, etc.
•It is organized in paragraphs.
•It makes a great use of connectors.
•It includes punctuation.
•The sentences are longer than in speech and they include subordinate clauses.
•In general, it is more formal than the oral language.

Here are some tips for producing a good written text:

1.Write short, simple sentences. The text might look poor at first, but as you advance in your
knowledge of English, you can write longer sentences.
2.Organise your text into different paragraphs to separate the different blocks of information. Leave
a blank space between the paragraphs.
3.Think about the right words to express your ideas. Use a dictionary in case of doubt, but pay
attention to false friends and other confusing words.
4.Look for possible syntactical mistakes in the text. Think about the grammar rules that you have
learned. If you have any doubts, look up the grammar explanations that you can find in your
coursebook or elsewhere (websites, grammar references, etc.).
5.Check the spelling. Use a dictionary if you have any doubts.
6.Go over the punctuation rules and try to apply them to your writing, including the correct use of
capital letters.
Oral: The following are some characteristics of the oral language:
•It uses more contractions to facilitate the pronunciation: I’m, he’s, I’ve got, etc.
•It has colloquial words and expressions: hi, bye, see you, etc.
•It has frequent interjections and exclamations: wow!, er, oops, no!, really?, etc.
•The sentences are usually shorter than in the written language.
•The speech is full of hesitations, interruptions, self-corrections, etc.

There are two basic types of oral texts:

•A speech: one person speaks and one or more people listen.
•A conversation: a minimum of two people speak and respond to each other.

Here is a short list of contractions and expressions commonly used in speech, but rarely found in
written texts:
•gonna (=going to)
•wanna (=want to)
•‘cause (=because)
•gotta (=I have got to)
•Great! (=excellent!)
•I’d rather (=I prefer)
•I’m dying to (=I would like very much to)
•Are you into…? (=Are you interested in…?)
•Dammit! (exclamation to express irritation)

1.2. Markets

The layout of a business letter

The layout refers to the position of the different elements that compose the letter. It is very
important to write each element in the correct place. The most common layout is the following:
1.The writer’s address: on the top right corner of the page. Do not include your name in the
address.
2.Date: below your address (but the date may also go below the receiver’s address). Be aware of the
correct date format.
3.The receiver’s name and address: a line below the writer’s address, on the left-hand side of the
paper.
4.Opening: two lines below the date. Begin with Dear + the receiver’s title and surname” (for
example, Dear Mr Jones). If you don’t know the receiver’s name, write: Dear Sir or Madam. Write a
comma after the opening.
5.Body of the letter: two lines below the opening. Separate the text clearly into paragraphs and use
the appropriate language. Pay attention to the punctuation.
6.Ending formula: we could use the standard phrase I look forward to hearing from you.
7.Closing phrase: two lines below the body of the letter, always on the left-hand side. The standard
closing expression is: Yours faithfully (if we do not know the receiver’s name) or Yours sincerely
(if you know the receiver’s name). Write a comma at the end.
8.Signature: sign your letter after the closing phrase and type your name and surname below.
9.Enclosure: if you enclose a document with the letter, write it down after your signature (for
example, Enc: Curriculum vitae).

Opening phrases:
•Very formal: Dear Sir or Madam, Dear Sirs
•Formal: Dear Mr/Mrs Jones
•Semi-formal: Dear Michael Jones
Closing phrases:
•Very formal: Yours faithfully (BrE), Yours truly (AmE)
•Formal: Yours sincerely (BrE), Sincerely (AmE)
•Semi-formal: Best regards, Best wishes
Explaining the purpose of your letter:
•I am interested in (applying for the post of personal assistant) …
•I am writing about (the meeting) …
Referring to the last contact with the receiver:
•With reference to your letter of (28th October), …
•Following our phone conversation (yesterday), …
•Thank you for your letter of last (28th October), …
Referring to the subject of the letter:
•Regarding the question of (your complain), …
•Regarding your advertisement for (the post of personal assistance), …
Referring to enclosures (if any):
•I am enclosing (my CV)
•Enclosed is a copy of (my CV)
Making requests:
•I would be grateful if you would (send me a copy of your complain)
•I would appreciate it if you would (send me a copy of your complain)
Ending the letter (before the closing phrase):
•I look forward to hearing from you
•Many thanks for your help in this matter

Connectors:
Positive addition:
•and (Cat. i): I like reading and listening to music.
•as well as (Cat. així com): I play football as well as handball.
•Also (Cat. També): He likes music – I also like music.
•Too (Cat. També): He likes music - I like music too.
•as well (Cat. També): He likes music - I like music as well.
•Besides (Cat. a més a més): It rained all the time. Besides, it was cold.
•Moreover (Cat. a més a més): It rained all the time. Moreover, it was cold.
•in addition (Cat. a més a més): It rained all the time. In addition, it was cold.
Negative addition:
•or (Cat. ni): I don’t like getting up early or going out at night.
•neither…nor (Cat. ni…ni): They neither work nor study.
•Either (Cat. Tampoc): He doesn’t like music - I don’t like it either.
Disjunctive conjunctions
•or (Cat. o): Do you prefer working in the morning or in the evening?
•either…or (Cat. o…o): I like working either in the morning or in the evening.
Condition:
•if (Cat. si): I will help you if you want.
•unless (Cat. a menys que, si no…): We can eat outside unless it’s very cold.
Contrast:
•but (Cat. però): It’s quite expensive but it’s very good.
•however (Cat. malgrat tot, no obstant): It’s quite expensive. However, it’s very good:
•although (Cat. tot i que, encara que): Although it’s very expensive, it’s very good.
•even though (Cat. tot i que, encara que): It’s quite expensive even though it’s very good.
•though (Cat. malgrat tot): It’s quite expensive. It’s very good though.
•in spite of - (Cat. malgrat): We had a great time in spite of the rain.
•while (Cat. mentre que): In the morning it was fine while in the evening it rained very hard.
•whereas (Cat. mentre que): In the morning it was fine whereas in the evening it rained very hard.
•on the other hand (Cat. per altra banda): I was very tired. On the other hand, I was very satisfied
with the work.
•on one hand…on the other hand (Cat. per una banda…i per l’altra): On one hand, I was very
tired. On the other hand, I was very satisfied.
•on the contrary (Cat. al contrari): It was not cold. On the contrary, we were very hot all the time.
Exception:
•except for (Cat. excepte, llevat de): I finished everything except for some small details.
•apart from (Cat. a part de): Apart from Tommy, nobody else came to the meeting.
Explaining ideas:
•that is to say (Cat. és a dir): The reason is crystal clear, that is to say, very clear.
•that is (Cat. és a dir): The reason is crystal clear, that is, very clear.
•in other words (Cat. en altres paraules): The reason is crystal clear. In other words, it’s very
clear.
Giving examples:
•like (Cat. com): We visited several cities, like Liverpool and Manchester.
•such as (Cat. com ara): We visited several cities, such as Liverpool and Manchester.
•for example (Cat. per exemple): We visited several cities. For example, Liverpool and
Manchester.
•as for example (Cat. com per exemple): We visited several cities as for example Liverpool and
Manchester.
Listing ideas:
•first (Cat: primer): First, I’ll speak to Mr Smith.
•firstly (Cat. primerament): Firstly, I’ll speak to Mr Smith.
•in the first place (Cat. en primer lloc): In the first place, I’ll speak to Mr Smith.
•first of all (Cat. primer de tot): First of all, I’ll speak to Mr Smith.
•at first (Cat. en un principi): At first, I didn’t see anything.
•to begin with (Cat: per començar): To begin with, you shouldn’t get nervous.
•secondly (Cat. en segon lloc): Secondly, I’ll listen to his proposal.
•after this (Cat. després d’això): After this, I’ll listen to his proposal.
•next (Cat. després, a continuació): Next, I’ll listen to his proposal.
•then (Cat. després, aleshores): Then I’ll listen to his proposal.
•afterwards (Cat. després) Afterwards, I’ll listen to his proposal.
•finally (Cat. finalment): Finally, I’ll decide what to do.
•in the end (Cat. al final, en últim lloc): In the end, I’ll decide what to do:
'After' and 'afterwards'
Do not confuse the meaning of the time connectors after and afterwards. After is a preposition, so it is placed before a noun
(after the class). Afterwards is an adverb and it is followed by a sentence (Afterwards, I went out).
Time connectors:
•when (Cat. quan): He called me when I wasn’t at home.
•whenever (Cat. sempre que): You may come whenever you want.
•as soon as (Cat. tan aviat com, així que): Please call me as soon as you get home.
•while (Cat. mentre): I was trying to concentrate while he was speaking on the phone.
•meanwhile (Cat. mentrestant): He was speaking on the phone. Meanwhile, I was trying to
concentrate.
•before (Cat. abans de): Please turn off the lights before you leave the office.
•after (Cat. després de): we went out after work.
•then (Cat. aleshores, després): We waited for Laura. Then, we went home together.
Expressing purpose:
•to (Cat. per a, per tal de): I work to earn a salary.
•in order to (Cat. per a, per tal de): I work in order to earn a salary.
•in order not to (Cat. per a no, per tal de no): I didn’t say anything in order not to damage your
reputation.
Expressing reason and cause:
•as (Cat. com que, ja que): As it was raining, we stayed at home.
•because (Cat. perquè): We stayed at home because it was raining.
•because of (Cat. a causa de, degut a): We stayed at home because of the rain.
•due to - (Cat. a causa de, degut a): We stayed at home due to the rain.
•as a result of Cat. com a conseqüència de): As a result of the economic crisis, many people have
lost their jobs.
Expressing a result:
•so Cat. per tant, així que, de manera que): It was raining hard so we stayed at home.
•Therefore (Cat. en conseqüència, per tant): It was raining hard. Therefore, we stayed at home.
•for this reason (Cat. per aquesta raó, per aquest motiu) It was raining hard. For this reason, we
stayed at home.
Summarizing:
•in conclusion (Cat. en conclusió): We spent everything we had. In conclusion, we can lend you no
money.
•in short (Cat. en resum, en poques paraules): We spent everything we had. In short, we can lend
you no money.
•to sum up (Cat. en resum, resumint): We spent everything we had. To sum up, we can lend you no
money.
•summing up (Cat. en resum, resumint): We spent everything we had. Summing up, we can lend
you no money.

1.3. Sales and orders

Writing the dates:
The expression of the date typically includes the day, the month and the year. The day is expressed
with an ordinal number (1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.). The date formats are different in British and American
English.
Taula: The dates in English
British English American English
A The ninth of June 2007 June the ninth, 2007
B 9th June 2007 June 9th, 2007
C 9 June 2007 June 9, 2007
D 9/6/2007 6/9/2007
E 9/6/07 6/9/07
F 09/06/07 06/09/07
Notice the following:
•Format A is very formal and it is mostly used in printed items, such as invitations.
•Formats D, E and F may cause misinterpretations. We can interpret the date 9/6/2007 in two ways:
9th June 2007 (in the British format) or 6th September 2007 (in the American format). In order to
interpret the date correctly, it is necessary to know the context.
•Numerical formats may use a slash (/): 9/6/2007, a full stop (.): 9.6.2007 or a hyphen (-): 9-6-2007.
•The names of the months are written with an initial capital letter: June, May, April, etc.
To say the part of the day, we can use the following expressions:
•In the morning
•In the afternoon
•In the evening
Other expressions related to time are:
•At night (Cat. durant la nit, de nit)
•During the day (Cat. durant el dia, de dia)
•At midnight (=00:00) (Cat. a mitjanit)
•At midday (=12:00) (Cat. al migdia)
•At dawn (Cat. a la matinada)
•At sunset (Cat. a la posta del sol, al capvespre)
 Unit 2: ARRANGEMENTS
2.1 Events
When meeting people:
Formal Greetings:
• Good morning/afternoon/evening > Good morning/afternoon/evening. (Cat. Bon dia/bona
tarda/bona nit - Bon dia/bona tarda/bona nit)
• Hello, (person’s name), how are you? > I’m very well, thank you, and you? (Cat. Hola [nom de la
persona], com està? - Molt bé, gràcies, i vostè?)
• Good day, Sir/Madam > Good day (very formal) - (Cat. Bon dia, Sr/Sra - Bon dia)
Informal Greetings:
• Hi/Hello > Hi/Hello (Cat. Hola - Hola)
• How are you? > Fine, thanks (Cat. Com estàs? - Bé, gràcies)
• What’s up? > Fine, thanks (very informal) (Cat. Què tal? - Bé, gràcies)
• How are you doing? > Fine (very informal) (Cat. Com va tot? - Bé)
When leaving people:
Formal Greetings:
• Good morning/afternoon/evening > Good morning/afternoon/evening (Cat. Bon dia/bona
tarda/bona nit - Bon dia/bona tarda/bona nit)
• It was a pleasure seeing/meeting you > A pleasure for me too (Cat. Ha estat un plaer
veure’l/conèixer-lo - El plaer ha estat meu)
• Goodbye > Goodbye (Cat. Adéu - Adéu)
Informal greetings:
• Bye > Bye (Cat- Adéu - Adéu)
• See you > See you (Cat. Ens veiem/fins després - Ens veiem/fins després)
• Take care > You too (Cat. Cuida’t - I tu també)
When we go to bed, or we retire for the night, we can say:
Formal and informal:
• Good night > Good night (Cat. Bona nit - Bona nit)
When meeting people unexpectedly:
In case you meet someone you did not expect, for example, in the street or in a meeting, you can
use the following expressions (the responses will depend on each particular situation):
Formal greeting:
• What a surprise! I haven’t seen you in a long time. How have you been? (Cat. Quina sorpresa! Feia
temps que no ens vèiem. Com està?)
Informal greeting:
• Hey, Jack, it’s nice to see you. What are you doing here? (Cat. Ei, Jack, m’alegro de veure’t. Què
fas per aquí?)
• What a surprise! How’s everything going? (Cat. Quina sorpresa! Com va tot?)
Introductions
Introductions are very common situations in a working environment. We make introductions when
we want two or more people to meet.
Introduction vs presentation
These two terms may be confusing for a Spanish or Catalan speaker because they are usually
translated with the same word:
• Introduction refers to people. It has the meaning of making two people meet and know each other
(Cat. presentació). For example: You don’t know each other, I’ll make the introductions (Cat. No us
coneixeu, faré les presentacions).
• Presentation means to show and explain the characteristics of a product, a project, etc. to an
audience (Cat. presentació, acte de presentació). For example: There was an interesting presentation
 of the new policy of the company (Cat. Hi va haver una interessant presentació de la nova política
de l’empresa).
There is the same difference in meaning between the corresponding verbs introduce (Cat. presentar)
and present (Cat. presentar, fer una presentació).
Here are some expressions used to introduce people:
Formal introductions:
In formal situations, like a reception, a presentation, a business meal, etc., we may introduce people
like this:
• May I introduce you to Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms (surname)? (Cat: Em permet que li presenti el Sr/la Sra/la
Srta (cognom)?)
• Let me introduce you to Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms (surname) (Cat: Permet’m que li presenti el Sr/la Sra/la
Srta (cognom)?
• I’d like to introduce you to Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms (surname) (Cat. Voldria presentar-li el Sr/la Sra/la Srta
(cognom)
Responding to formal introductions:
We may respond to a formal introduction like this (the translation is not literal):
• How do you do? (Cat. Molt de gust)
The response to this is:
• How do you do (Cat. El gust és meu, encantat)
Informal introductions:
In informal situations, we may introduce other people like this:
• This is… (Cat. Aquest/a és…)
Responding to informal introductions:
There are different responses for an informal introduction. For example, we can say:
• Nice to meet you (Cat. Encantat)
• Hi (Cat. Hola)
• How are you? (Cat. Què tal?)

2.2 Travel
Telephone conversations
Here are some expressions commonly used on the telephone:
In a commercial context, we usually answer a telephone call by saying the name of the company (or
the department) before adding anything else.
Answering the phone:
• Hello?
• Zara Portal de l’Angel, hello?
• Commercial Department, hello?
• Joan Alsina speaking.
• Customer service. Can I help you?
Asking for identification:
• Who’s calling?
• Where are you calling from?
• May I have your name please?
Identifying yourself on the telephone:
• This is (Inés Fernández) from (Zara).
• My name’s (Inés Fernández), I’m calling from (Zara).
• This is (Inés Fernández). I’m calling on behalf of (Joan Alsina).
Asking to speak with someone:
• May I speak to (Mr Smith), please?
• Can I talk to (Mr Smith), please?
• Is (Mr Smith)) there?
• I’d like to speak to (Mr Smith).
• Could you put me through to (the commercial department), please?
If Mr Smith himself answers the telephone, the answer would be:
• Speaking!, which means: This is Mr Smith speaking.
If not, see below:
Asking the other person to wait:
• One moment, please.
• Hold on a minute please.
• Just a minute.
Connecting to other people:
• I’ll put you through to (Mr Smith).
• I’ll put you through to (his office).
Explaining that the other person is not available:
• I’m sorry, the line’s busy at the moment.
• I’m afraid (Mr Smith) is not in his office right now.
• (Mr Smith) is in a meeting at the moment.
Offering solutions when the other person is not available:
• Could you call back later please?
• Could you call back in (one hour)?
• Could I take a message?
• Would you like to leave a message?
• Can I help you in anything?
• I’ll call back later, thanks.
• I’ll try again, thanks.
Leaving a message:
• Could I leave a message please?
• Could you please tell (Mr Smith) that (Inés from Zara) called?
• I’d like to leave a message for (Mr Smith).
Asking about the reason of the call:
• What does it concern?
• What’s it about?
Explaining the reason of the call:
• I’m calling on behalf of (Mr Ramoneda, from Zara).
• I’m calling about…(+noun)
• I’m calling to…(+verb)
Saying goodbye on the phone:
• Thanks for your help.
• Ok, I’ll call you back in a few days.
• Goodbye.
• Bye.
Leaving recorded messages
A message on an answering machine or a voicemail must be as short as possible. Include the
following information:
• Person to whom the message is addressed
• Identification
• Message
• Further steps
Here is an example of a recorded message:
Hello. This is a message for Mr Smith. This is Joan Alsina, from Zara. I’m calling about an order
for 30 male shirts we made one week ago. We are still expecting the order. Could you please call me
back and tell me if there’s any problem? Thank you. Bye.
 Speeches and presentations
Speeches and presentations are two instances in which you will need to use the oral language. We
might need to give a speech in a variety of situations: to read a paper in a congress, to welcome
some guests to our company, to make a toast in a formal meal, or to accept a prize or an honour. On
the other hand, presentations are very much used to advertise a product, or to show the figures of
your company to a group of investors, for example. Speeches and presentations tend to be more
formal than conversations.
Very often, a speech consists merely on reading a text aloud whereas a presentation requires more
improvisation. Moreover, a presentation is very often accompanied of support material, like
graphics or images. The common feature is that in both cases we address an audience.
To make a good speech, it is necessary to speak the language fairly well and to know the basic
principles of public speaking. Here are some tips for effective communication in public speaking:
1. Imagine the positive outcome of the speech. Before you start, close your eyes and imagine the
audience clapping, congratulating you on your speech or asking questions to know more. A good
way to overcome anxiety is to visualize the results that you want to achieve after your speech. If
you visualize on a consistent basis, your mind will become used to the prospect of speaking in
public, and pretty soon you’ll conquer any feelings of anxiety.
2. Be yourself. When we stand up to give a speech, we often think about the public rather than about
the message that we want to communicate. You must do just the opposite: concentrate on your
message and forget about the audience. Imagine that you are having a relaxed conversation with one
person, so address your audience directly and make a connection with them. You can do so by
fixing your attention on a person sitting on the front, for example, and addressing that person as an
individual, but make sure that you change your focus of attention from one person to another.
3. Know your environment. If possible, get familiar with the place of the speech. This will help you
visualize the context and get everything under control. Also, check all the material that will be
required during the speech: internet connection, computer, overhead projector, handouts, etc. There
is nothing worse in public speaking than keeping your audience waiting for the solution of technical
problems.
4. Don’t forget the purpose of your speech. Think what the audience would like to get at the end of
your speech. Ask yourself: How can I help your audience achieve their goals? Do I have to inform
them? Motivate them? Convince them? Entertain them? When your purpose is clear, choose the
tools that might better contribute to those goals.
Negotiating
In an organization composed of a large number of people with different personalities and different
interests, there is an unavoidable potential for conflict. Disagreements on the solution for a problem
or the goals for a project are very common in all organizations. Disagreements are sometimes bad
for the business because they can affect productivity, but if they are managed skilfully, they may
become a valuable source of development for the company. For this reason, it is very important to
have good negotiation skills. The success of a negotiation takes place when two people or group of
people get together and reach an agreement that is acceptable to everybody. The ability to negotiate
requires a number of personal and communication skills which combine to get the desired result.

Here are some tips to be a successful negotiator:

1. Identify the problem. You must have a clear idea of the problem involved in the negotiation.
Where is the disagreement? In the company’s expansion plans? In the workers’ salaries? Once the
problem has been identified, you can determine the interests of each party and prepare possible
solutions.
2. Be well informed. You must prepare the meeting carefully. Get informed of the people’s characters,
relationships, past negotiations and interests. This will help you to find the right tone for the
conversation. If the interlocutors come from a different cultural background, you must be familiar
with their customs, beliefs and social codes.
3. Listen effectively. You must have the skill to listen to the other party during the meeting. Do not
spend your time talking about the advantages of your point of view. Express your point of view as
short as possible and then let the other people explain their own point of view without interrupting
them.
4. Control your emotions. It is very important that you control your emotions during the negotiation.
Long and difficult negotiations will generate frustration in both parties, but you must get your
frustration under control or you may reach an unfavourable agreement just because you wish to end
the negotiation. Suggest a break if you feel tired.
5. Use your communication skills. You must have the ability to communicate clearly and effectively
to avoid misunderstandings during the negotiation. Go straight to the point and explain your reasons
to support your point of view. This requires a good knowledge of the language, but your social skills
and characters are also very important to maintain a good atmosphere during the meeting. You will
need to be a reliable and open-minded person.

2.3 A business meal

In all the communicative situations, accuracy is very important, but it is especially so in the working
environment, where misunderstandings can have negative consequences for the company and for
yourself. For this reason, it is necessary to be careful with the use of language in order to express
your message as clearly as possible.
To avoid misunderstandings in your international relationships, you should consider such aspects as
for example the cultural differences with other countries, the use of the formal or informal style, the
use of false friends and phrasal verbs, or the correct pronunciation of certain words which are only
distinguished by their stress.
Words as verbs and nouns
In English, it is common to find the same word functioning as a noun and as a verb. Very often,
these words have the same spelling and pronunciation, so the only way of distinguishing the
meaning is from the context. Some examples of these are:
• Noun: love (Cat. amor); verb: love (Cat. estimar)
• Noun: water (Cat. aigua); verb: water (Cat. regar)
• Noun: walk (Cat. passeig); verb: walk (Cat. passejar, caminar)
• Noun: drive (Cat. trajecte en cotxe); verb: drive (Cat. conduir)
• Noun: fall (Cat. caiguda); verb: fall (Cat. caure)
• Noun: mistake (Cat. error); verb: mistake (Cat. Confondre)

Sometimes, the words have the same spelling, but they are stressed in different syllables, as in the
following examples (stressed syllables in bold type):
• Noun: increase (Cat. augment); verb: increase (Cat. augmentar)
• Noun: decrease (Cat. descens); verb: decrease (Cat. descendre,baixar)
• Noun: import (Cat. importació); verb: import (Cat. importar)
• Noun: export (Cat. exportació); verb: export (Cat. exportar)
• Noun: discount (Cat. descompte, rebaixa); verb: discount (Cat.descomptar, rebaixar)
• Noun: refund (Cat. devolució); verb: refund (Cat. tornar, fer una devolució)
• Noun: insult (Cat. insult); verb: insult (Cat. insultar)
• Noun: protest (Cat. protesta); verb: protest (Cat. protestar)
• Noun: update (Cat. actualització); verb: update (Cat. actualitzar)
• Noun: misprint (Cat. error tipogràfic); verb: misprint (Cat. cometre una errada tipogràfica)
• Noun: survey (Cat. enquesta) verb: survey (Cat. enquestar, fer una enquesta)
• Noun: detail (Cat. detall); verb: detail (Cat. detallar, donar detalls)
• Noun: upset (Cat. trasbals); verb: upset (Cat. trasbalsar)

Some other words have the same spelling and different syllable stress, but also different meanings
as a noun and as a verb. Some examples of these words are:
• Noun: contract (Cat. contracte); verb: contract (Cat. contraure’s)
• Noun: conduct (Cat. conducta, actitud); verb: conduct (Cat. dirigir, portar a terme, realitzar)
• Noun: object (Cat. objecte); verb: object (Cat. objectar, posar objeccions)
• Noun: subject (Cat. assignatura, tema, subjecte [gramatical]); subject (Cat. sotmetre)
• Noun: present (Cat. regal); verb: present (Cat. presentar)
• Noun: desert (Cat. desert); verb: desert (Cat. desertar, abandonar)

False friends
Many English words, especially those in the fields of business, commerce, science and technology,
have a Greek or Latin origin, so they can be easily recognized by a Spanish or Catalan speaker. For
example, you do not probably need a dictionary to understand the meaning of words
like information, university, computer, reality, family, television, history, and many others.
See the annex called “List of false friends” for the most common false friends in Catalan and
Spanish.
However, there are some words that look similar in the two languages, but they do not have the
same meaning. These words are called false friends because they apparently have one meaning, but
they actually have a different one.
There are not many English false friends, but they are very frequently used, so it is very important
to know their meanings and be careful to use the correct word to avoid misunderstandings.
The table below shows a list of some common false friends.

Taula: English false friends

English word Catalan translation Similar Catalan wordEnglish translation
actually de fet actualment currently, now
approve acceptar, aprovar aprovar (un examen) pass
assist ajudar, atendre assistir a attend, go to
conductor director d’orquesta conductor driver
disgust fàstic disgust upset (adj.)
exit sortida èxit success
fabric teixit fàbrica factory
lecture conferència, xerrada lectura reading
library biblioteca llibreria bookshop, bookstore
motorist automobilista motorista motor cyclist
preservative conservant preservatiu condom
sensible sensat, amb seny sensible sensitive

Phrasal verbs
In English, we often use verbs accompanied by a small word called adverb particle, which gives a
special meaning to the verb. This meaning is different from the separate meanings of the verb and
the particle.
The verbal units composed of verb + adverb particle are called phrasal verbs. Phrasal verbs are
more common in the oral and informal language than in the written, formal language.
See the annex “List of phrasal verbs” for a list of the the most common phrasal verbs in English. It
includes a translation of the verbs into Catalan.
Here are some widely-used phrasal verbs (with their meanings in Catalan):
• get up (Cat. llevar-se)
• wake up (Cat. despertar-se)
• break down (Cat. avariar-se, espatllar-se)
• look out (Cat. vigilar, anar amb compte)
• turn on (Cat. engegar, posar en marxa, encendre [un llum])
• turn off (Cat. apagar [un llum, un aparell])
• fill in (Cat. omplir [un formulari])
• take off (Cat. enlairar-se [un avió], treure’s [una peça de roba])
• turn up (Cat. presentar-se, aparèixer [en un lloc])
• blow up (Cat. esclatar, explotar)
• throw away (Cat. tirar, llançar)
• come back (Cat. tornar, retornar [d’un lloc])
• put off (Cat. posposar, retardar)
• find out (Cat. descobrir, trobar)
 Sometimes, the phrasal verb has an object. In this case, there are two possible positions for the
object:
• Don’t forget to turn off the lights / Don’t forget to turn the lights off (Cat. No t’oblidis d’apagar els llums).
• Can you fill in this form please? / Can you fill this form in please? (Cat. Pot omplir aquest formulari, si us plau?).
• I think I’ll throw away these old magazines / I think I’ll throw these old magazines away (Cat. Em sembla que llançaré
aquestes revistes velles).
But if the object is a pronoun, it is always placed between the verb and the particle. Examples:
• Don’t forget to turn them off (Cat. No t’oblidis d’apagar-les).
• Can you fill it in please? (Cat. Pot omplir-lo, si us plau?).
• I think I’ll throw them away (Cat. Em sembla que les llançaré).
Some phrasal verbs can also add a preposition, as for example:
• look forward to (Cat. esperar amb il·lusió)
• keep up with (Cat. mantenir-se a l’alçada de, mantenir el ritme de)
• cut down on (Cat. reduir [una activitat])
• put up with (Cat. tolerar, suportar, aguantar [una persona o situació])

Prepositional verbs and verbs + prepositional phrase

We should not confuse the phrasal verbs with the prepositional verbs. The prepositional verbs are
those that have a preposition before the object. For example:
• look at (Cat. mirar): he looked at me.
• listen to (Cat. escoltar): I’ll listen to the radio.
• belong to (Cat. pertànyer a): this desk belongs to Mrs Smith.
• apply to (somebody) (Cat. demanar a [algú]): I’ll apply to the manager.
• apply for (something) (Cat sol·licitar [una cosa]): I applied for a job.
• speak with (Cat. parlar amb): you should speak with your boss.
• consist of (Cat. estar compost de): the presentation consists of two parts
It is also very common to use a verb indicating movement (like go, walk, run, drive, fly, swim) with
a prepositional phrase. For example:
• Walk along the street (Cat. Ves [camina] pel carrer).
• I drove through the city in only ten minutes (Cat. Vaig conduir d’una punta a l’altra de la ciutat en només deu minuts).
• Please don’t go up those stairs (Cat. Si us plau, no pugis per aquella escala).
• I swam across the lake (Cat. Vaig nedar d’una banda a l’altra del llac).
In these examples, the verb and the preposition retain their original meaning.

Prefixes and suffixes

A prefix refers to the element that is placed at the beginning of a word to modify or adjust the
meaning of that word, whereas the suffix is placed at the end of the word. Both prefixes and
suffixes form part of the word to which they are joined and cannot be separated. Most of them are
attached to the word, as in “bilingual”, but a few are separated from the word by a hyphen (-), as in
“extra-curricular”.
The knowledge of the meaning of the most important prefixes and suffixes is important because it
makes it easier to guess the meaning of unknown words. For example, if we know the meaning of
the prefix “mis-” (wrongly) and we know the meaning of the verb “understand” (Cat: entendre), we
can easily guess the meaning of “misunderstand” (Cat: entendre malament), and this even though it
is the first time that we see that word.
Prefixes and suffixes can be added to nouns, adjectives and verbs to express a new idea. Suffixes
are basically used to change the part of speech of a word, that is, to turn adjectives into nouns,
nouns into adjectives, etc.
You can create words by adding the appropriate prefixes or suffixes. For example, you can add the
suffix -like to a noun (like in childlike) to form a new adjective: teacher-like (Cat. que es comporta
com un professor), animal-like (Cat. que és o es comporta com un animal), etc. In these cases, the
suffix is separated from the word by a hyphen (-) because the new word has not been incorporated
into the language.
 Prefixes
The majority of prefixes are the same and have the same meaning as in Catalan and Spanish. For
example: anti-, auto-, cyber-, extra-, hyper-, inter-, kilo-, micro-, mini-, mono-, multi-, neo-, photo-,
post-, pre-, semi-, sub-, super-, tele-, trans-, vice-, etc.
However, there are some others that have a different origin and are not so easy to understand. The
table below shows some common English prefixes:
Taula: Prefixes
Prefix Added to… Usual meaning Examples
de- verbs reversing action deregulate
dis- adjectives, nouns, verbs not, opposite disloyal, disorder, discover
en- adjectives, nouns make, put in enable, endanger
fore- nouns, verbs before foreground, foretell
ill- past particples badly ill-used
mid- nouns in the middle of mid-90, mid-century, mid-way
mis- nouns, verbs wrongly misuse, misunderstand, mispelling
out- nouns, verbs be more than outcast, outrun, outnumber
over- nouns, verbs too much over-confident, overheat, oversize
un- adjectives, verbs opposite, not unimportant, undress

Suffixes
The tables below show a list of common English suffixes and their meanings:
Taula: Suffixes that form nouns
Suffix Added to… Meaning Examples
-ee verbs object of the verb employee, interviewee
-er/-or verbs person/thing that does the action of the verb manager, director
-ess nouns female actress, waitress, lioness
-ful nouns quantity contained in handful, spoonful
-ship nouns quality of friendship, relationship
Taula: Suffixes that form adjectives
Suffix Added to… Meaning Examples
-able verbs that can be done manageable, understandable
-ful nouns full of useful, careful
-ish adjectives, nouns tending to, similar to bluish, childish
-less nouns without homeless, armless
-like nouns like, behaving like childlike, homelike
-ous nouns having numerous, vicious
-ly adjectives in that manner quietly, quickly
-wards prepositions of place, nouns in that direction backwards, homewards

Adjectives in -ed and adjectives in -ing

The suffixes -ed and -ing are added to verbs in order to form adjectives. These adjectives are easily
confused because they have similar meanings, but there is a difference:
• The adjectives ending in -ed refer to a temporary state. These adjectives form the past participle of
the corresponding verbs. For example: interested, terrified, embarrassed, fascinated.
• The adjectives ending in -ing refer to a permanent characteristic. For example: interesting,
terrifying, embarrassing, fascinating .
The table below shows some common adjectives in -ed and -ing:
Taula: Adjectives ending in -ed and adjectives ending in -ing
-ed -ing Meanings
amazed amazing sorprès- sorprenent
amused amusing divertit - divertit
annoyed annoying molest - molest
astonished astonishing sorprès - sorprenent
confused confusing confós - confós
depressed depressing deprimit - depriment
disgusted disgusting fastiguejat - fastigós
embarrassed embarrassing avergonyit - que fa vergonya
excited exciting emocionat - emocionant
 exhausted exhausting esgotat - esgotador
fascinated fascinating fascinat - fascinant
frightened frightening espantat - espantós
horrified horrifying horroritzat - horrorós
interested interesting interessat - interessant
satisfied satisfying satisfet - satisfactori
shocked shocking sorprès - sorprenent
terrified terrifying aterroritzat - terrorífic
tired tiring cansat - cansat
worried worrying preocupat - preocupant
'Ser i estar'
In Catalan and Spanish, there is a different verb for each adjective:
Cat. ser interessant and estar interessat.
In English, however, there is only one verb (be), so the ending is the only way of distinguishing the
meanings of the adjectives.

Easily confused words

As in all the languages, in English there are many words that can be easily confused by language
learners for several reasons. It might be because of minor differences in spelling or similarity in
their meanings, but in any case, they are often used wrongly and can generate mistakes and create
misunderstandings.
Here is a list of commonly used words which are often confused.

Advise / Advice:
There is a difference in spelling and in meaning.
• Advise (Cat. aconsellar) is a verb. For example: I advise you to be patient (Cat. T’aconsello que
tinguis paciència).
• Advice (Cat. consell) is a noun. For example: My only advice is that you are patient (Cat. El meu
únic consell és que tinguis paciència).

Practise / Practice:
In British English, there is a difference in spelling and meaning between these two words, as
in advise/advice:
• Practise (Cat. practicar) is a verb. For example: You should practise English more often (Cat
Hauries de practicar l’anglès més sovint).
• Practice (Cat. pràctica) is a noun. For example: You need more practice to improve your
pronunciation (Cat. Et cal més pràctica per a millorar la pronunciació).
In American English, there is only one spelling (Practice), but two meanings for this word.
Examples:
• Verb: You should practice English more often (Cat Hauries de practicar l’anglès més sovint).
• Noun: You need more practice to improve your pronunciation (Cat. Et cal més pràctica per a
millorar la pronunciació).

Life / Live:
Apart from differences in spelling and meaning, there is also a clear difference in pronunciation
between these two words:
• Life (pronounced: /laıf/) (Cat. vida) is a noun: I lead a very healthy life (Cat. Porto una vida molt
saludable).
• Live (pronounced: /lıv/) (Cat. viure) is a verb: I live in Barcelona (Cat. Visc a Barcelona).
A related word is the adjective alive (Cat. viu/va), which is the opposite of dead (Cat. mort/a), as
in: He’s still alive; I can notice his breathing (Cat. Encara és viu; puc notar com respira).
Please notice that the plural form of life is lives (pronounced /laivz/). Do not confuse with the third
person singular of the present simple of the verb: he lives (pronounced /livz/).
 Price / Prize:
These two words are both nouns. There is a difference in spelling and meaning and there is also a
slight difference in pronunciation: price is pronounced /prais/ whereas prize is pronounced /praiz/.
See the annex called “English Phonetic Symbols” to see a description of the phonetic signs.
• Price (Cat. preu): The price of this product has increased a lot (Cat. El preu d’aquest producte ha
pujat molt).
• Prize (Cat. premi): She won the first prize in a painting competition (Cat. Va guanyar el primer
premi en un concurs de pintura).

Job / Work:
The meanings of these two words are very similar, but there is a grammatical difference between
them which provokes frequent mistakes in their use.
• Job (Cat. feina, lloc de treball) is a countable noun, which means that it can be used in plural. For
example: I’ve had many jobs in my life, but I am currently unemployed (Cat. He tingut moltes
feines a la meva vida, però ara mateix estic a l’atur).
• Work (Cat. treball) is an uncountable noun, which means that it cannot be used in plural. For
example: I’ve got a lot of work at the weekend (Cat. Tinc molta feina aquest cap de setmana).
Apart from a noun, work can also be a verb, as in: I work five days a week (Cat. Treballo cinc dies a
la setmana).

Trip / Travel:
There is a little difference in meaning between these two nouns, but there is also a grammatical
difference.
• Travel (Cat. viatge) refers to the act of travelling. In this case, it is an uncountable noun. For
example: Nowadays air travel can be very cheap (Cat. Avui en dia viatjar en avió pot ser molt
barat).
• Trip (Cat. viatge, desplaçament) refers to the act of going from one place to another. In this case, it
is a countable noun. For example: I made a trip to Paris last week (Cat. La setmana passada vaig fer
un viatge a París).
Travel is very frequently used as a verb, as in: I must travel a lot in my job (Cat. A la meva feina
haig de viatjar molt).
Other related words are journey (Cat. viatge), which can be used as a synonym of ‘trip’
and voyage (Cat. viatge, travessia), which refers to a trip by boat or spacecraft.

Win / Earn / Gain:

Catalan and Spanish do not distinguish the meanings of these three verbs, so mistakes in their use
are very common among English learners.
• Win (Cat. guanyar) means 1) to be number one in a competition, as for example in: Which
team won the last World Cup? (Cat. Quin equip va guanyar l’últim Mundial?) and 2)to receive
money as a prize, as for example in: He has won 5000€ in a single game of poker (Cat. Ha guanyat
5000€ en una sola partida de póquer).
• Earn (Cat. guanyar) means to get something, usually money, in exchange for your work, as
in: He earns only 600 euros for a job as an administrative assistant (Cat. Només guanya 660 euros
per una feina d’administratiu).
• Gain (Cat. guanyar) means to get or to increase, as for example in: He gained a lot of confidence
after talking to his boss (Cat: Va guanyar molta confiança després de parlar amb el seu cap).
The word gain can also be a noun, which is commonly used in the financial world. In this sense, it
means Cat. guany, pujada, augment as in: There’s a gain of 3% in the company’s shares (Cat. Hi ha
una pujada del 3% en les accions de l’empresa).
 Hope / Wait / Expect / Look forward to:
These four verbs have similar meanings, but they should be clearly distinguished because they are
used in different contexts.
• Hope (Cat. esperar, tenir l’esperança) has an emotional component and it means that you want
something to happen, as for example in: I hope you find a job soon (Cat. Espero que trobis una
feina ben aviat).
• Wait (Cat. esperar) means to let time pass because something will happen, as in: I am waiting for
my flight (Cat. Estic esperant el meu vol).
• Expect (Cat. esperar) means that you know that something will happen because it is probable or
reasonable, as for example: We’re expecting the CEO to arrive any moment now (Cat. Estem
esperant que arribi el Director General en qualsevol moment).
• Look forward to (Cat. esperar, desitjar) combines the meanings of the other three verbs. It means
that you think with pleasure about something that will happen in the future, as in I’m looking
forward to retiring next year (Cat. Espero jubilar-me l’any que ve). This verb is also very much
used in formal letters as a closing phrase: I look forward to hearing from you as soon as
possible (Cat. Espero tenir notícies seves el més aviat possible).

Spend / Waste:
These are two verbs with different meanings, but they are often confused. Basically, you can
spend/waste money and you can spend/waste time. Here are the differences:
• Spend (money) (Cat. gastar). For example: We spend a lot of money at Christmas (Cat. Pel Nadal
ens gastem molts diners).
• Waste (money) (Cat. malgastar). For example: The company has wasted a lot of money in doubtful
investments (Cat. L’empresa ha malgastat molts diners en inversions dubtoses).
• Spend (time) (Cat. passar). For example: I will spend the whole weekend trying to understand this
report (Cat. Em passaré tot el cap de setmana intentant entendre aquest informe).
• Waste (time (Cat. perdre, malgastar). For example: Don’t waste your time with this! Go back to
work! (Cat. No perdis el temps amb això! Torna a la feina!).
The term waste (Cat. pèrdua de temps) can also be a noun, as in: This is a total waste of time (Cat.
Això és una pèrdua total de temps!). Another meaning of the noun waste is that of ‘garbagge’,
‘rubbish’ (Cat. desperdicis):

Economic / Economical / Economy / Economics:

The words economic and economical are adjectives whereas economy and economics are nouns.
Here are the differences between them:
• Economic (Cat. econòmic/a) refers to things related to the organization of money and trade in a
country. For example: The economic situation is worse than we thought (Cat. La situació
econòmica és pitjor del que ens pensàvem).
• Economical (Cat. econòmic/a, barat/a) is the same as ‘cheap’, as in: We stayed at a
very economical hotel (Cat. Ens vam allotjar a un hotel molt econòmic).
• Economy (Cat. economia) is the system by which the money, the trade and the industry of a country
are organized, as for example: The economy of some countries has suffered a
recession (L’economia d’alguns països ha patit una recessió):
• Economics (Cat. economia) refers to the studies and the science, as in this example: She
studied economics (Cat. Va estudiar economia).

Customer / Client:
Both nouns have similar meanings, but there is a difference:
• Customer (Cat. client) is a person that buys a product. For example: The shop was full
of customers (Cat. La botiga estava plena de clients).
• Client (Cat. client) is a person who receives a service from a professional. For example: I was
a client of that lawyer’s office (Cat. Jo era client d’aquesta firma d’advocats).
 Brand / Make / Trademark / Logo:
These four nouns are very common in the field of commerce and they should not be confused. Here
is the difference between them:
• Brand (Cat. marca) refers to the names of essential consumer products which you can buy in shops.
For example: Which is your favourite brand of coffee? (Cat. Quina és la teva marca de cafè
favoirita?).
• Make (Cat. marca) refers to the names of long-lasting products such as machines or cars. For
example: Toyota is a make of car (Cat. Toyota és una marca de cotxe).
• Trademark (Cat. marca registrada) is the name or the symbol used by manufacturers to distinguish
their products from other products. For example: We registered our trademark at the patents
office (Cat. Vam registrar la nostra marca a l’oficina de patents).
• Logo (Cat. logotip, logo) is the symbol used by a company to identify a product or trademark. For
example: The logo of Mercedes is the three-pointed star (Cat. El logo de Mercedes és l’estrella de
tres puntes).
Do not use the term mark in sentences like: Which is your favourite mark of coffee?.

Unit 3: PEOPLE
3.1 Communication
Instructions and commands
The most common way of giving instructions and commands is by using the imperative form of the
verb.
When you give instructions, especially in a written text, it is very important to make a good use of
connectors. In written instructions, you will generally need time connectors.
Another way of giving instructions is with the modal verbs should or must. By using should, you
are in fact giving advice, or recommending things to do. With must, you are implying an obligation,
so you can use this modal verb when you think that the instruction is very important.
Commands:
We give a command when we need someone to do something immediately, or when we think that it
is very important, but we can only give commands in informal situations. In formal situations, or
when we are talking to a superior, we must make a request.
A command, which is usually accompanied by an imperative tone of voice, often implies a certain
degree of impatience.
Directions
Sometimes, we must give instructions to go to a certain place. This is called giving directions. To
give directions, we normally use the imperative form of the verb together with certain words and
expressions which are especific of this context.

Asking for directions:

We can ask for directions in the following way:
When you want to call somebody’s attention, in English you must use the expression excuse me (Cat. Perdoni, disculpi).
• Excuse me, how can I go to a bank? (Cat. Perdona, com puc anar a un banc?).
• Excuse me, can you tell me the way to the bank? (Cat. Perdona, em podries dir com anar a un
banc?).
• Excuse me, is there a bank nearby? (Cat. Perdona, hi ha un banc per aquí?)
Giving directions:
The three basic expressions to give directions are (see the map):
• (1) Go straight ahead (Cat. Vés recte)
• (2) Turn (first) left (Cat. Gira (pel primer carrer) a l’esquerra).
• (3) Turn (second) right (Cat. Gira (pel segon carrer) a la dreta).
 With these three directions you can direct a person anywhere, but there are others which are also
very useful. For example:
• Go/walk along (West St.) (Cat. Vés/Camina per [West St.]).
• Go/walk across (West St.) (Cat. Travessa [West St.]).
• Turn left/right into (West St.) (Cat. Gira a l’esquerra/dreta [per West St.])
• Take (West St.) (Cat. Agafa [West St.]).
• Turn left/right outside (the bank) (Cat. Gira a l’esquerra/dreta en sortir [del banc]).
• Go straight on (Cat. Continua recte).
• Go straight on until you come to (West St.) (Cat. Continua recte fins a [West St.]).
Go straight ahead vs go along…
Go straight ahead is an adverbial expression that indicates the direction of the movement (Go
straight ahead and turn left). Go along… is a prepositional phrase that requires the name of the
street (Go along West St). It is wrong to say: Go straight ahead West St.
Until vs until you come to…
Until (Cat. fins) is a preposition of time which is only used with time adverbials. For example: until
6 oc’lock, until the evening, until 2019, etc. It is wrong to say: until West St).
When giving directions, we must use the expression until you come to… when we refer to a point in
space. For example: Go straight ahead until you come to West St.
When giving directions, the common pattern is first to show the way and then to explain the
location of the place. Some common expressions to indicate location are (see map for reference):
• In…street (Cat. al carrer…): The bank is in East St.
• On the corner of…* (Cat. a la cantonada de…): The park is on the corner of West St and Main St..
• Next to … (Cat. al costat de…) The school is next to the bank.
• Opposite … (Cat. davant de…) The bank is opposite Zara
• Near … (Cat. a prop de… a la vora de…): The school is near Zara.
• Between … (Cat. entre…): The school is in East St between Main St and Station Rd.
• At the end of… (Cat. al final de…): The bank is at teh end of East St.
• Round the corner (Cat. al girar la cantonada): Zara is round the corner.
The names of the streets
Common abbreviations added to the name of the streets are:
• St: street
• Rd: road
• Ave: avenue
• Sq: square
The names of the streets are proper names, so we must always write them with a capital letter. The
abbreviation is part of the name, so it is also written with a capital letter (West St, Station Rd).
When we talk about the names of the streets, we must not say or write the article the. For
example: the school is in East St. It is wrong to say: the school is in the East St. But we must write
the article when street is a common name. For example: The bank is at the end of the street.
Sometimes we may also need to show the way inside a building or within a company’s premises.
Here are some common expressions which we can use in this situation:
• Take the lift (Cat. Agafa l’ascensor).
• Go up/down to (the second floor) (Cat. Puja/baixa al [segon pis]).
• Go to the end of the corridor (Cat. Vés fins al final del passadís).
• It’s the (third) door on the left/right (Cat. És la [tercera] porta a l’esquerra/dreta).
• Go across the courtyard (Cat. Travessa el pati).
• It’s on the (second) floor (Cat. Està en el [segon] pis).
• It’s in the hall (Cat. És al vestíbul).
• It’s next to the reception desk (Cat. Està al costat de la recepció).
• Ask at the reception desk (Cat. Pregunta a recepció).
 3.2 International relationships
Suggestions
We can make suggestions in different ways. Some are used in formal situations whereas others are
used in informal situations. Next there is a list of some of these expressions.

Making formal suggestions:

A) SUGGEST + GERUND (-ING)
• I suggest speaking in English (Cat. Suggereixo parlar en anglès)
• He suggested talking to the head of our department first (Cat. Va suggerir parlar primer amb el cap
del nostre departament).
B) SUGGEST + THAT-CLAUSE
• I suggest that we speak in English (Cat. Suggereixo que parlem en anglès).
• In the next meeting, I’ll suggest that we can finish work earlier (Cat. A la següent reunió, suggeriré
que poguem plegar abans).
C) SUGGEST + NOUN
• I suggest a Japanese restaurant (Cat. Suggereixo un restaurant japonès).
• I would suggest a break (Cat. Jo suggeriria un descans).

Making informal suggestions:

A) WHAT ABOUT + GERUND (-ING) …?
• What about speaking in English? (Cat. Què tal si parlem en anglès?).
• What about having a coffee? (Cat. Què et sembla si prenem un cafè?).
B) WHAT ABOUT + NOUN …?
• What about a break? (Cat. I si fem un descans?).
• What about a coffee? (Cat. Què tal un cafè?).
C) WHAT ABOUT IF + YOU/WE + V. IN PRESENT SIMPLE …?
• What about if we speak English? (Cat. Què tal si parlem anglès?).
• What about if you help me with this? (Què et sembla si m’ajudes amb això?).
D) WHY DON’T YOU/WE + BASE FORM …?
• Why don’t we speak in English? (Cat. Per què no parlem en anglès?).
• Why don’t you wait a little longer? (Cat. Per què no t’esperes una mica més?).
E) YOU/WE COULD + BASE FORM
• We could speak in English (Cat. Podríem parlar en anglès).
• You could go and speak to the director (Cat. Podries anar a parlar amb el director).
F) LET’S + BASE FORM …!
• Let’s speak in English! (Anem a parlar anglès!)
• Let’s organize a big party (Organitzem una gran festa!)
Responding to a suggestion:
We can respond in different ways, depending on whether we agree or disagree with the suggestion.
In general, all these expressions can be used in formal and informal contexts and they are
independent of the way in which the suggestion was made. The translations are not literal, but just
reflect equivalent expressions in Catalan used in the same context.
Agree:
•Yes, we could do that (Cat. Sí, podríem fer això).
•Yes, that’s a good idea! (Cat. Sí, bona idea!).
•Ok, let’s do that (Cat. D’acord, endavant!)
•Yes, why not? (Cat. Sí, per què no?)
•Ok, that’s great! (Cat. Excel·lent!)
Disagree:
•I’m afraid it’s not a good idea (Cat. Em temo que no és gaire bona idea).
•I’m afraid we can’t do that (Cat. Em temo que això no és possible).
•I’d rather not (Cat. Millor que no).
 •No, we can’t do that (Cat. No, això no ho podem fer).
•No, we shouldn’t do that (Cat. això no ho hauríem de fer).
Making formal invitations:
To make invitations in formal situations, we can use the following expressions:
A) I (WOULD LIKE TO) INVITE + INDIRECT OBJECT + TO + BASE FORM…
•I would like to invite you to go out with me (Cat. M’agradaria invitar-te a sortir amb mi).
•I would like to invite my friends to spend the summer with me (Cat. M’agadaria invitar els meus
amics a passar l’estiu amb mi).
•I invite you to come with me (Cat. T’invito a venir amb mi).
•I’ll invite him to sing at my party (Cat. L’invitaré a cantar a la meva festa)
B) I (WOULD LIKE TO) INVITE + INDIRECT OBJECT + TO + NOUN…
•He would like to invite you to a coffee (Cat. A ell li agradaria invitar-te a un cafè).
•I would like to invite you to a party (Cat. M’agradaria invitar-vos a una festa).
•I invite you to a concert (Cat. T’invito a un concert).
Making informal invitations:
C) WOULD YOU LIKE + TO + BASE FORM +…?
•Would you like to have a walk with me? (Cat. Vens a passejar amb mi?).
•Would you like to come? (Cat. Vols venir?).
D) WOULD YOU LIKE + NOUN +…?
•Would you like some help? (Cat. Vols que t’ajudi?).
•Would you like a cold drink? (Cat. Vols una beguda fresca?).
Responding to invitations:
When someone invites you to do something, you can accept or you can reject the invitation.
Here are some possible responses.
To accept the invitation:
•Thank you very much. That would be very nice (formal) (Cat. Moltes gràcies. Serà un plaer).
•Thank you. You’re very kind indeed (formal) (Cat. Gràcies. És vostè molt amable).
•Thanks. That would be great (informal) (Cat Gràcies. Això estaria molt bé).
•Ok, I’d like to. Thanks (informal) (Cat. Sí, m’agradaria. Gràcies).
To reject the invitation:
•I’m sorry. I’m afraid (I’m not free tonight) (Cat: Ho sento. Em temo que [aquesta nit estic ocupat]).
•No, thanks, anyway. (I don’t feel like it now) (Cat. No, gràcies de totes maneres, però [ara no en
tinc ganes]).
•Thank you but I can’t. (I must go immediately) (Cat. Gràcies però ara no puc . [Me’n he d’anar de
seguida]).

3.3 Conflict resolution

Making a request:
The following sentences express the same request in an increasing degree of politeness:
1. Open the window! (order) (Cat. Obre la finestra!)
2. Open the window, please! (order) (Cat. Obre la finestra si us plau!)
3. Can you open the window (please)? (Cat. Pots obrir la finestra [si us plau])?
4. Could you open the window? (please)? (Cat. Podries obrir la finestra [si us plau])?
5. Will you open the window (please)? (Cat. Obriràs la finestra [si us plau])?
6. Would you open the window (please)? (Cat. Obriries la finestra [si us plau])?
7. Do you mind opening the window (please)? (Cat. T’importa obrir la finestra [si us plau])?
8. Would you mind opening the window (please)? (Cat. T’importaria obrir la finestra [si us plau])?
Notice the following:
• Requests are made with a variety of modal verbs (can, could, will and would).
• Examples 1 and 2 use the imperative form because they are strong requests (commands). The order
in example 2 is softened by the use of please.
• Examples 3, 4 and 5 are quite neutral in terms of politeness. They are mostly used with friends,
relatives and colleagues.
• Examples 6, 7 and 8 reflect the highest degrees of politeness. They are appropriate in formal
situations.
• Example 8 is used in very formal situations.

Responding to a request:
There are different ways of responding to a request. For example:
To agree with the request:
• Yes, of course.
• Ok, no problem.
• Yes, of course I (can).
• Of course I don’t mind.
• Certainly.
• Sure.
To disagree with the request:
• I’m sorry, but I can’t (I’m on the phone right now).
• I’m afraid I can’t (it’s too cold in here).
Advice
Countable and uncountable nouns
Countable nouns: the nouns that can be separated into units (a book, some books). Uncountable nouns: the nouns that
cannot be separated into units (some money).
The noun advice is uncountable in English. This means that it has no plural form and that we cannot
used the indeterminate article an or the numeral one. For example, it is wrong to say: I’ll give
you some advices or I’ll give you an advice. We must say: I’ll give you some advice and I’ll give
you a piece or advice.
On the other hand, there is a difference in the spelling between the noun advice (Cat. consell)) and
the verb advise (Cat. aconsellar, donar consells).

Giving advice:
There are different ways of giving advice:
A) SUBJECT + ADVISE + GERUND (-ING)
• I usually advise getting up earlier. (Cat. Normalment aconsello llevar-se més d’hora.)
• We advised waiting a little longer. (Cat. Vam aconsellar esperar una mica més.)
B) SUBJECT + ADVISE + INDIRECT OBJECT + TO + BASE FORM
• We advise you to see a doctor. (Cat. T’aconsellem que vagis al metge.)
• I would advise them to be patient. (Cat. Jo els aconsellaria que tenguessin paciència.)
C) SUBJECT + SHOULD + BASE FORM
• You should work hard. (Cat. Hauries de treballar molt.)
• I think you should save money. (Cat. Crec que hauries d’estalviar diners.)
• He shouldn’t go back to work. (Cat. No hauria de tornar a la feina.)
D) SUBJECT + HAD BETTER (NOT) + BASE FORM
The expression had better is mostly used in spoken English, where had is often contracted or simply omitted (You’d better
work harder or You better work harder).
• You had better work harder. (Cat. És millor que treballis més.)
• We had better go. (Cat. El millor és que anar-se’n.)
• He had better speak. (Cat. Més li val parlar.)
E) IF I WERE YOU, + I + WOULD + BASE FORM
• If I were you, I would work harder. (Cat. Si jo estigués en el teu lloc, treballaria més.)
• If I were you, I would save money. (Cat. Si jo fos tu, estalviaria diners.)
 Responding to advice:
When responding to advice, it is customary to thank the other person. On the other hand, if we
decide to refuse, we must also thank the other person and then justify our response.
Here are some possible replies:
To accept advice:
• Thank you, I’ll do that. (Cat. Gràcies, així ho faré.)
• You’re right. Thanks. (Cat. Tens tota la raó, gràcies.)
• Yes, that’s a good idea, thanks! (Cat. Sí, bona idea, gràcies!)
To refuse advice:
• No, I’d rather not do that. (It’s too difficult for me.) Thanks anyway! (Cat. M’estimaria més no fer-
ho. (És massa difícil per a mi). Gràcies de totes maneres!)
• Thank you, but I’m afraid I can’t do that. (It’s too difficult for me.) (Gràcies, però em temo que això
no ho puc fer. (És massa difícil per a mi.)
• No, thank you, I can’t do that! (It’s too difficult for me.) (Cat. No, gràcies, això no ho puc fer! (És
massa difícil per a mi.)

Unit 4: WORK
4.1 Looking for a job
Wishes
There are different options to express a wish in English. The most common one is with the
expression would like, but we can also use the verb wish (Cat. desitjar) and a number of other
expressions.
Would like
We can use would like in different sentence structures to refer either to the present, to the past and
to the future.

1. Wishes referring to the present and to the future:

A) I WOULD LIKE + TO + BASE FORM + …
• I would like to see you. (Cat. Et voldria veure.)
• I would like to stay a little longer. (Cat. Em voldria quedar una mica més / M’agradaria quedar-me
una mica més.)
B) I WOULD LIKE + DIRECT OBJECT + TO + BASE FORM + …
• I would like Mr Johnson to be nicer. (Cat. M’agradaria que Mr Johnson fos més simpàtic.)
• I would like you to call the director right now. (Cat. Voldria que truquessis al director ara mateix.)
C) I WOULD LIKE + NOUN
• I would like a coffee. (Cat. Voldria un cafè.)
• I would like a new opportunity. (Cat. Voldria una nova oportunitat.)

2. Wishes referring to the past:

D) I WOULD HAVE LIKED + TO + BASE FORM …
• I would have liked to be elected. (Cat. M’hagués agradat haver sortit elegit.)
• I would have liked to speak better French. (Cat. M’hagués agradat parlar millor el francès.)
E) I WOULD HAVE LIKED + DIRECT OBJECT + TO + BASE FORM…
• I would have liked him to be more polite. (Cat. M’hagués agradat que [ell] hagués estat més
educat.)
• I would have liked the job to be more interesting. (Cat. M’hagués agradat que la feina fos més
interessant.)
The verb 'wish'
 The meaning of I wish that …
The expression I wish that is not usually translated literally into Catalan or Spanish. These two
languages use an equivalent expression instead (Cat. Tant de bo…, Sp. Ojalá…) For example: I
wish (that) it rained. (Cat. Tant de bo plogués!, Sp. ¡Ojalá lloviera!).
This verb appears in different sentence structures to express a wish in the past, the present or the
future. The past tense of wish (wished) is very little used.

1. Wishes referring to the present and to the future:

A) I WISH + (THAT) + SUBJECT + VERB IN PAST SIMPLE + …
• I wish (that) you were more sociable. (Cat. Tant de bo fossis més sociable.)
• I wish (that) you came with us next week. (Cat. Tant de bo vinguessis amb nosaltres la setmana que
ve.)
B) I WISH + TO + BASE FORM
• I wish to speak to you as soon as possible. (Cat. Voldria parlar amb tu el més aviat possible.)
• I wish to tell you something. (Cat. Voldria dir-te una cosa.)
C) I WISH + INDIRECT OBJECT + DIRECT OBJECT
• I wish you a very good morning. (Cat. Et desitjo un molt bon dia.)
• I wish the new secretary good luck. (Cat. A la nova secretària li desitjo bona sort.)
D) I WISH + FOR + NOUN
• I wish for a glass of water. (Cat. Voldria un got d’aigua.)
• I wish for a better salary. (Cat. Voldria un salari millor.)

2. Wishes referring to the past:

E) I WISH + (THAT) + SUBJECT + VERB IN PAST PERFECT (had + past participle)…
• I wish (that) I had been here before. (Cat. Tant de bo hagués estat aquí abans.)
• I wish (that) I had taken an umbrella. (Cat. Tant de bo hagués agafat un paraigua.)
In a that-clause, that can be omitted from the sentence, as it usually happens with this conjunction.
On the other hand, the form of the verb be in the that-clause is were for all persons, including the
first and third persons. So we must say:
• I wish I were richer. (Cat. Tant de bo fos més ric.)
• I wish Sam were here to watch all this. (Cat. Tant de bo Sam fos aquí per a veure tot això.)
Other ways of expressing a wish
Other verbs that can be used to express wishes are want (Cat. voler) and desire (Cat. desitjar). The
difference in the use of want and wish is that want is used for something which is possible to obtain,
whereas wish usually refers to something which is more difficult to obtain. On the other
hand, Desire has the same meaning as wish, but it is used in more formal situations. Sometimes, the
expression If only … (Cat. Si almenys …) is used instead of wish.
The uses of these forms are the following:
A) I WANT/DESIRE + TO + BASE FORM + …
• I want to go to Mr Smith’s speech tonight. (Cat. Aquesta nit vull anar a la conferència de Mr Smith.)
• I desire to be alone, please. (Cat. desitjo estar sol, si us plau.)
• I wanted to come earlier, but it was impossible. (Cat. Volia venir abans, però ha estat impossible.)
B) I WANT/DESIRE + DIRECT OBJECT + TO + BASE FORM + …
• I want you to sit down and listen. (Cat. Vull que seguis i escoltis.)
• I desired him to relax, but he was hysterical. (Cat. Desitjava que es calmés, però estava histèric.)
C) I WANT/DESIRE + NOUN
• I wanted some paper for the printer. (Cat. Volia paper per a la impressora.)
• I desire a peaceful evening. (Cat. Desitjo una tarda tranquil·la.)
D) IF ONLY + SUBJECT + VERB IN PAST SIMPLE… (referring to the present and to the future)
• If only I had money! (Cat Si almenys tingués diners!)
• If only you were a little more intelligent! (Cat. Si almenys fossis una mica més intel·ligent!)
E) IF ONLY + SUBJECT + VERB IN PAST PERFECT… (referring to the past)
• If only I had taken the mobile! (Cat. Si almenys hagués agafat el mòbil!)
• If only they had finished their work! (Cat: Si almenys haguessin acabat la feina!)
Opinions
There are different ways of expressing our opinions and asking for and responding to other people’s
opinions.
Asking for an opinion:
• What do you think of (the salaries)? (Cat. Què opines [dels salaris]?)
• Do you think that (the salaries are good)? (Cat. Creus que [els salaris estan bé]?)
• Do you believe in (justice)? (Cat. Creus en [la justícia]?)
• What’s your opinion about (the salaries)? (Cat. Quina és la teva opinió sobre [els salaris]?)
• What does the company think about (the present crisis)? (Cat. Què en pensa l’empresa de [la crisi
actual]?)

Giving an opinion:
The most common ways of expressing opinions are:
• With the verb think (Cat. creure, opinar)
• With the verb believe (Cat. creure)
We can use both verbs indistinctly, but believe expresses a stronger opinion than think.
The common syntactical structure to these verbs is:
A) SUBJECT + THINK/BELIEVE + (THAT) + CLAUSE
In the spoken language, we can omit the conjunction that.
Here are some examples:
• I think (that) the film is very interesting. (Cat. Crec/Opino que la pel·lícula és molt interessant.)
• I think (that) you should wait a little longer. (Cat. Crec/Opino que hauries d’esperar una mica més.)
• I think (that) you shouldn’t talk to your boss like that. (Cat. Crec/Opino que no hauries de parlar-li
així, al teu cap.)
• I believe (that) he has been wrong to leave his wife. (Cat. Crec que ha fet malament de deixar la
seva dona.)
• I don’t believe (that) we can get out of this crisis so easily. (Cat. No crec que puguem sortir tan
fàcilment d’aquesta crisi.)
The verb believe can also have the following structure:
B) SUBJECT + BELIEVE + IN + NOUN
For example:
• I believe in justice. (Cat. crec en la justícia.)
• I don’t believe in people’s stupidity. (Cat. No crec en l’estupidesa de la gent.)
Negative opinions
To express a negative opinion, we can change the main verb (think, believe) or the verb in the
subordinate clause into the negative form. For example, we can say:
• I don’t think (that) this is correct.
• I think (that) this is not correct.
Apart from verbs think and believe, we can introduce an opinion with a some expressions, as for
example:
• In my opinion,… (Cat. En la meva opinió,…)
• In my view,… (Cat. En la meva opinió,…)
• From my point of view,… (Cat. Des del meu punt de vista,…)
• As far as I’m concerned,… (Cat. Pel que a mi respecta,…)
• As I see it,… (Cat. Tal com jo ho veig,…)
All these expressions are placed at the beginning of the sentence and, in the written form, they are
separated from the rest of the sentence by a comma (,).
Examples:
• In my opinion, the director should resign. (Cat. En la meva opinió, el director hauria de dimitir.)
• In my view, you should take the bus to come to work. (Cat. En la meva opinió, hauries de venir a
treballar en autobús.)
• From my point of view, the salaries are too low. (Cat. Des del meu punt de vista, els salaris són
massa baixos.)
• As far as I’m concerned, I wouldn’t say anything. (Cat. Pel que a mi respecta, jo no diria res.)
• As I see it, we shouldn’t go on strike. (Cat. Tal com jo ho veig, no hauríem de fer vaga.)
Responding to opinions
When people respond to an opinion, they can agree or disagree with that opinion. Accordingly, we
can respond to an opinion in the following way:
• I agree. (Cat. Hi estic d’acord.)
• I don’t agree. (Cat. No hi estic d’acord.)
• I disagree. (Cat. No hi estic d’acord.)
For example:
• I think we should do something big. - Yes, I agree.
• I think Emma should learn English. - I disagree/I don’t agree (I think French is more appropriate in
her case).
Be careful with the verbs agree and disagree. It is wrong to say: I am agree, I am disagree, I am not
agree, etc.
Other options to respond to opinions are these:
• I share/don’t share your opinion. (Cat. Comparteixo/No comparteixo la teva opinió.)
• I’m of the same opinion as you. (Cat. Sóc de la teva mateixa opinió.)
• I’ve got the same/a different opinion. (Cat. Tinc la mateixa/una altra opinió.)
• I don’t see things that way. (Cat. Jo no ho veig d’aquesta manera.)
To respond to opinions, it is very common to use expressions like: so do I, neither do I, etc. These
expressions have a special structure:
• To agree: I believe he should wait. - So do I. (Cat. Jo també.)
• To agree: I believe he shouldn’t wait. - Neither do I. (Cat. Jo tampoc.)
• To disagree: I think he should wait. - But I don’t. (Cat. Doncs jo no.)
• To disagree: I think he shouldn’t wait. - But I do. (Cat. Doncs jo sí.)
The correct structures are the following:
1. Agree to affirmative statements:
• SO + AUXILIARY VERB/MODAL + SUBJECT
Examples:
• I like swimming. - So do I / So does John, etc.
• He’s very intelligent. - So am I / So are we / So is my little daughter, etc.
• You can speak English very well. - So can you / So can Laura, etc.
2. Agree to negative statements:
• NEITHER + AUXILIARY VERB/MODAL + SUBJECT
Examples:
• I don’t like swimming. - Neither do I / Neither do we / Neither does she, etc.
• He’s not very intelligent. - Neither are you / Neither am I / Neither is my daughter, etc.
• You can’t speak English very well. - Neither can you / Neither can Mr Larson, etc.
3) Disagree to affirmative statements:
• BUT + SUBJECT + AUXILIARY VERB/MODAL (in negative)
Examples:
• I like swimming. - But I don’t / But John doesn’t, etc.
• He’s very intelligent. - But I’m not / But we aren’t / But my daughter isn’t, etc.
• You can speak English very well. - But you can’t / But Mr Larson can’t, etc.
4) Disagree to negative statements:
• BUT + SUBJECT + AUXILIARY VERB/MODAL (in affirmative)
Examples:
• I don’t like swimming. - But I do / But John does, etc.
• He isn’t very intelligent. - But I am / But we are / But my daughter is, etc.
• You can’t speak English very well. - But you can / But Mr Larson can, etc.
Question tags
The term ‘question tag’ refers to a short question which we add to a statement to make sure that the
other person has heard or understood what said. Question tags are used in the spoken language. The
Catalan equivalent to an English question tag would be: oi?, no és cert? The Spanish equivalent
would be ¿verdad?, ¿no es cierto?
In English, the question tags are more complex than in Catalan or Spanish because the structure
depends on the sentence to which it is attached.
Here are the different structures of the question tags.
1) Affirmative statements:
• AUXILIARY/MODAL VERB (in negative) + SUBJECT (pronoun)
Examples:
• Peter is always on time, isn’t he? (Cat. En Peter sempre és puntual, oi?)
• You can come at the weekends, can’t you? (Cat. Pots venir els caps de setmana, oi que sí?)
• Mary speaks German, doesn’t she? (Cat. la Mary parla alemany, no?)
2) Negative statements:
• AUXILIARY/MODAL VERB (in affirmative) + SUBJECT (pronoun)
Examples:
• They haven’t had dinner yet, have they? (Cat. Encara no has sopat, oi que no?)
• We shouldn’t eat in the office, should we? (Cat. No hauriem de menjar al despatx, oi que no?)
• You don’t like computers, do you? (Cat. No t’agraden els ordinadors, oi que no?)

4.2 Job recruitment

Writing a CV
Curriculum vitae vs. résumé
The term curriculum vitae (or CV) is mostly used in BrE whereas AmE prefers the term résumé (spelt with the two
graphical accents).
We have probably learned that we must not judge people on first impressions, but that we must
know them to appreciate their good qualities. However, when an employer looks at a curriculm
vitae (CV), he does precisely that: to judge a person on the first impression produced by the CV,
without even knowing the candidate personally.
This is the reason why a CV should be carefully elaborated. It must convince the employer that you
might become an appropriate candidate for the job. With hundreds of other CVs waiting for an
opportunity, the most important thing is that your own CV attracts the employer’s attention.
To attract the employer’s attention, however, does not mean to write your CV in a variety of colours
and/or spectacular font types. This will only distract the reader from the important information.
Instead, you should use a conventional format and organize your information clearly.
See the annex called “CV and cover letter” for an example of CV and its corresponding cover letter.
There are many different models of CVs, but the basic elements are:
• Contact information: your name and surnames should be prominent (usually centered and in bold
type). Then add your telephone number, your address and your e-mail address.
• Summary: probably the most important section in a CV. You must express in a few sentences your
good qualitities, your skills and your achievements for the job you are applying for. Here is where
the employer will look first of all and you need to impress him/her discreetly so he/she wants to
read more details about you.
• Experience: your relevant job experience should be listed chronologically, starting with your most
recent job. For each job, you should mention the company and your job position.
• Skills: this section summarizes your special skills and relevant achievements for the job.
• Education: you must list the school/s you attended and the degree you had in each one.
• References: you should simply write ‘Available upon request’, which means that you will give the
information when necessary. Employers do not look for references until the end of the interview, so
it is not necessary to include them in your CV.
 Except for the contact information, you must include the title of each section, in bold type or capital
letters.
Here is a list of things that should not appear in a CV:
• Errors: making grammatical and/or spelling mistakes in a CV is the worst thing that can happen to
a candidate for a job. The employer will immediately relate the mistakes to the candidate’s
carelessness and he/she will be obviously discarded.
• Salary: do not include your current salary or that which you expect to earn. Salary negotiations
usually take place later on in the job seeking process, usually during the interview.
• Irrelevant information: you should only include the information which is relevant for the job and
that which can benefit your interests. For example, do not include an average mark in a course if it
is not a good one. Do not specify hobbies which have nothing to do with the job. They might
probably tell about your character, but they will waste the reader’s time.
Now, what information can you include in your CV if you have little or no work experience? In this
case, you can list your school and social activities and link them to the job you are applying for.
A CV should always go together with a cover letter. A cover letter is one in which you explain why
you are the ideal candidate for the job. It has no special format, but it follows the standards applied
to all the other formal letters.
Writing a cover letter
In a cover letter, we should include the most relevant aspects of our experience and education for
the post that we are applying to. To do that, we must select the aspects from the CV that can
contribute to raise the company’s interest in your application.
Some useful expressions which we can use in a cover letter are:
• I am writing to you in response to your advertisement for the post of…
• As you can see from my enclosed CV, my experience and qualifications match this position’s
requirements.
• I would like to point out… .
• I look forward to an opportunity to speak with you in person (o personally)
Equivalence between the academic degrees in the Spanish and the British school systems
The Spanish and the British academic degrees belong to different school systems. Therefore, it is
not possible to make a literal translation of your degrees. We must find the equivalent degree in the
foreign school system.
The following table shows the equivalence between the Spanish and the British academic degrees.
Taula: Academic degrees
Spanish school system Brititsh school system
Educació Primària / Educació General Bàsica (EGB) Primary Education
Educació Secundària Obligatoria (ESO) / Batxillerat Unificat General Certificate of Secondary
Polivalent (BUP) Education (GCSE)
General Certificate of Education
Batxillerat / Curs d’Orientació Universitària (COU)
(GCE)
Cicle Formatiu de Grau Mitjà (CFGM) / Formació Vocational Education and Training
Professional de Primer Grau (FPI) (VET)
Cicle Formatiu de Grau Superior (CFGS) / Formació Certificate of Higher Education
Professional de Segon Grau (FPII) (HNC)
Diplomatura (3 anys) Bachelor’s Degree (B)
Llicenciatura / Grau University Degree
Diploma of Higher Education
Enginyeria Tècnica
(DipHE)
Engineer’s Degree – Engineer
Enginyeria Superior
Diploma (DI)
Postgrau (de 30 a 60 crèdits ECTS) Graduate Certificate (PGCert)
Màster (de 60 a 120 crèdits ECTS) Master’s Degree (M)
Doctorat Doctorate (PhD)
 You can use a general term to describe the vocational studies. For example:
• Business Administration and Finance (Cat. Administració i finances)
• Secretarial Studies (Cat. Secretariat / Assistència a la direcció)
• Commerce (Cat. Gestió Comercial / Gestió de vendes)
• International Commerce (Cat. Comerç Internacional)
The job interview
If the employer has considered your CV, you will be called for the job interview. This is the time
when you meet the employer so he/she can find out more things about you. The interviewer will ask
you about your experience and qualifications, and you will also need to show your skills for the job.
Here are some tips to help you before going to a job interview.
1. Prepare your answers in advance. Think about the questions which are frequently asked in a
job interview and prepare your answers in advance.
Some frequent questions in job interviews
These are commonly-asked questions in job interviews:
• What can you say about yourself?
• Why do you think you are good for this job?
• What are your weaknesses?
• Why do you want to work in our company?
• What salary do you expect to earn?
• What are your motivations?
• What makes a good team, according to you?
• Have you got any questions?
2. Make some research. Before going to the interview, look at the potential employer’s website and
check the company’s details. Having the information will help you in the interview.
3. Have a good appearance. First impressions are very important in the business world, so make
sure that you wear smart clothes and have a nice appearance.
4. Be ready. Try to get to the interview with plenty of time. If you get late, you will be doubly
stressed and besides it will cause a very bad impression. Also, make sure that you have everything
that you need: notebook, pen and a copy of your CV.
5. Show your good character. Although you will probably feel nervous, try to smile all the time.
This will help you feel more relaxed and will give a good impression. Also, make sure that you look
your interviewer directly in the eye, and concentrate on what he/she is saying.
6. Ask questions. Do not tell the interviewer that you do not have any questions. You should
prepare some questions in advance and be ready to ask them if they tell you so.
Questions that you may ask in a job interview
Here are some questions that you may safely ask in a job interview:
• Why do you need to fulfill this position?
• What are the objectives of this position?
• How do you expect to meet the objectives?
• What can I expect from you in terms of development and support?
• What do you do to create a good atmosphere at work?
• Are there any plans for expansion?
• What does the company expect from the employees?
7. Take notes. Taking notes will give the impression that you are paying attention and that you are
very interested in what the interviewer is saying.

4.3 Working abroad

In the course of your working life, you will probably need to translate a lot of from English into
your own language. You may need to translate a manual, a business letter, or a set of instructions,
for example. You will do so either for yourself or for the benefit of others. In the latter case, it is
very important to produce an accurate translation, so it is necessary to learn the techniques to
translate a text.
As a learner of English, a translation will be very useful to become aware of the differences
between English and your own language and avoid mistakes in the expression.
In a working environment, summaries are not as common activities as translations, but you may
sometimes need to summarize a text, for example, when you look for information to make a
presentation, or write a report. In these cases, you do not copy the original text, but summarize it in
your own words to transmit only the basic information.
Summarizing a text is especially useful to develop your reading skills because in a summary you
must only retain the important information. With good summarizing skills, you will be able to read
and understand an English text very quickly.
Translating a text
WordReference is a very good online dictionary. See the ‘Interesting links’ section for a link to the
dictionary.
When we learn a foreign language, we translate from our mother tongue into the target language all
the time. This is called direct translation.
For example, when we read an English text, we mentally translate the text into our own language.
When we write, we think what we need to say in our language and then we write it down in English.
When we speak, we think in our mother tongue and then we translate our thoughts into the foreign
language. This process is normal when we study English outside an English speaking context, but it
can generate many mistakes because there are a lot of syntactical and lexical differences between
the two languages. In fact, learning a foreign language means learning to ‘think’ in another
language.
Apart from this personal use, we will probably need to make translations at work, especially if we
are in frequent contact with other countries. In the business world, most correspondence,
professional documents and manuals are in English, so we should learn how to translate a written
text as accurately as possible.
The most important thing to make a good translation is to have a good knowledge of the
grammatical rules of both your language and of the foreign language. You should remember that we
do not only have to translate the words, but also the syntactical structures.
Spanish and Catalan belong to different linguistic families from English (Catalan and Spanish are
Romanic languages and English is a Germanic language). This means that the syntactical structures
are often very different. For example, let’s consider the English sentence: I’m 25 years old. If we
translate only the words, the result is: Cat. Jo sóc 25 anys vell or Sp. Soy 25 años viejo, what makes
little sense. We must also translate the syntactical structure, and say: Cat. Jo tinc 25 anys or
Sp. Tengo 25 años.
Using a dictionary
To find the meaning of words, the most important tool is, of course, a good bilingual dictionary. You
may want to use a pocket dictionary for the translation of individual words or small texts, but you
will need a bigger dictionary for more ‘professional’ translations. However, the best option is an
online dictionary. In the web, you can find thousands of dictionaries: you may choose general
language dictionaries or specialized dictionaries of your field of interest.
Finding the right meaning of a word, however, is not always a simple task because words may have
a lot of different meanings and we must know which one is correct in a specific context. To
illustrate this, let’s study a dictionary entry for the word start and follow the process for finding the
correct meaning:
 FiguraDictionary entry
Source: www.wordreference.com
Let’s imagine that we need to translate the English sentence I couldn’t start the car into Spanish. To
find the correct translation, we should follow these steps:
1. Is the word start a noun? a verb? an adjective? The context will give you the answer. From its
position in the sentence (after the modal verb couldn’t), the word can only be a verb, which has a
direct object (the car).
2. Next, look at the abbreviations: vi (intransitive verb), vtr (transitive verb), n(noun). As start has a
direct object, it is a transitive verb. Therefore, we must look at the translations under the
abbreviation vtr.
3. There are different translations of start as a transitive verb, so which is the correct one? To find out,
look at the words in brackets next to the entry: these words either explain the context in which the
word appear or they give a synonym. The words say: (begin) and (machine).
4. The direct object is a car, so we look at the Spanish translation when the words refers to a machine.
It says: encender, poner en marcha.
5. Now we already know the meaning of start, so we can translate the sentence: Sp. No pude poner el
coche en marcha. Once we know the meaning, we can choose the most appropriate translation for
that idea. For example, we can also say: Sp. No pude arrancar el coche.
Using an automatic translator
See the ‘Interesting links’ section for a link to the Google Translator.
In the past few years, automatic translators have become very useful tools for translating texts.
Automatic translators are more and more accurate everyday, but they still generate many mistakes,
especially because sometimes the programme does not distinguish the context with enough
 precision. Many mistakes are also produced because the programme cannot recognize a word as a
result of mispellings or inappropriate punctuation.
An automatic translator is very useful at work when you need to understand a text, but if you must
give the translation to someone else, it is necessary to go through a process of revision and
correction to identify all the mistakes.
If you are working on a translation to learn English, then you should not use an automatic translator.
There is no point in letting a programme do all the work for you. In this case, the best thing is to
translate all the sentences that you can understand and use a dictionary only to look up the unkown
words. Remember that you must not translate the words literally: sometimes you may also need to
change the syntactical structure.
Reversed translations
Sometimes, we may need to translate a text from our mother tongue into English, especially when
we must write a text in English. This is called ‘reversed translation’.
The problem of reversed translations is that the text in English is usually full of mistakes, especially
if we use an automatic translator. When we write a text in our own language, we tend to use long,
complex sentences and a vocabulary with many expressions that do not have equivalent forms in
English. We also make frequent spelling mistakes (even in our own language!). All this generates a
text full of bad translations, so the text should be corrected very carefully before sending it to other
people.
If you must write a text as part of your learning process, you should not use an automatic translator.
The objective of writing is that you gradually learn the appropriate words and syntactical structures
of another language to express your ideas.
Summarizing a text
The objective of a summary is to explain the main ideas of a text in a few sentences. Summaries are
very useful to practise the reading and listening skills because they help to concentrate our attention
in the most important information. When we read or listen to a text, we should be able to summarize
the contents.
When writing a summary, remember the following:
• Include only the basic information.
• Do not include secondary information, as for example, details, sentences to reinforce the main
point, examples to illustrate the ideas, etc.
• Do not express your own opinion, or add information that is not in the text.
Here are some tips to help you write a good summary:
• First of all, read the text to get a general idea of its contents.
• Read the text again and underline the three or four most important ideas.
• Without looking at the text again, write a few sentences about the text from memory. Try to use
your own words.
• Read the text again and check your summary. Make sure that you have included all the important
information.
• If you think that the summary is too long, cut out the unnecessary details.
• Check your summary to locate lexical or syntactical mistakes. Correct them, if necessary.